Zombie Haven
by Mew Tohru Kun
Summary: When the zombie apocalypse hits the last living town, Duke, Audrey and Nathan must team up with the last survivers in order to find the answer to everything.
1. The calm before the storm

**I had to write this as Duke Crocker has become my life. Well Haven has anyway. But so has The Walking Dead.**

**Enjoy! **

The calm before the storm, Duke thought.

The boat drifted effortlessly on the water as he began to steer back to the Haven Harbour. The sun was directly above him in the cloudless sky and the clear blue velvet sky above him was almost mocking how calm it truly was.

The perfect scene. Perhaps too perfect. Especially for Haven.

But no doubt Audrey Parker was probably off fighting suspicious crime while his boat settled at the dock. Suspicious being an understatement. Perhaps a mind-reader was robbing a bank, or a fire-starter was, well, starting fires funnily enough. Duke knew Audrey Parker too well to worry about her though. She was tough. She was a woman on a mission. And nothing could get in her way.

Or so he thought.

Duke jumped gracefully from the boat and began to amble towards the main body of the small town. A year ago this was a place he would stay well away from, but now Audrey Parker was in town he couldn't help but be drawn there. To the police station.

When he pushed open the modern glass doors, the calm was over. The storm was brewing. The police station was completely empty. The lights were on but nobody was home. A knot formed in Duke's stomach as the first thing he thought he screamed out loud:

"Audrey!"

Just then a sky blue jeep pulled up in front of the open doors. It contained two figures with very concerned looks on their pale faces. Audrey Parker stepped down from the passenger side of the vehicle. Her blonde hair swayed in the wind as the sun beams bounced off of it. Her radiant smile was replaced by a look of terror. What could possibly be so horrifying? Duke thought. He rushed over to her ignoring the other figure limping across from the car.

"Audrey, what happened? Are you ok? Where is everyone?" Duke was almost breathless; he couldn't get the words out fast enough. Without realising he took Audrey's hand in his own and led her inside to the police station. Nathan slowly limped behind them.


	2. Duke faces the truth

**So far so good I hope. Planning on a long series. I just hope I get some good reviews.**

**Enjoy your view and please review!**

As Duke sat Audrey down on one of the empty swivel chairs in front of the computers, he asked her once more what happened. This time Audrey responded.

"Everyone's gone. Dead. No-one left. Only the dead." Several tears streamed down her face as she spoke.

Nathan entered the room and sat down uneasily. Duke looked at him, confused at his actions.

"What's wrong with you? Could you not stop lying anymore? Come to join the regulars that can feel pain?" Duke taunted and teased Nathan who just kept a straight and sombre face. He didn't react in any way. But Audrey did.

"DUKE!" Audrey slapped Duke very hard across the face. It left a bright red mark and he looked at her with great surprise.

"Aud-" he began. Audrey interrupted him when she stood up and walked over to sit beside Nathan.

"It was the dead. They bit Nathan. They were chewing him. They would have eaten him completely!" she told him.

Nathan stood up. He was shaking all over. Audrey grabbed his hand to help steady him. He said to Duke: "I can't feel pain. But I felt that. I can still feel it. I can't believe it either. I don't know what happened. But there were zombies. Real zombies everywhere. The townspeople. It was them. Everyone. Even-even chief."

Nathan had a tear in his eye at this point. Duke almost believed this incredible, yet unbelievable tale.

"You know, I almost believed that. Ever thought about going to acting school Nathan? You might actually do something with your life that way. Instead of wasting away in here making up bullshit about the apocalypse just cause you can't feel happiness. You get me Nathan?" Duke had his usual sarcastic smile across his face, but it quickly faded when Nathan stood up and began shaking in anger.

As Nathan opened his mouth to speak, someone or something was tapping slowly and roughly on the window. Audrey ran over to the window and opened the beige blinds, just enough for Duke to see the oblivion outside.

Where the mysterious tapper had been there was a smudged bloody hand print. And Duke's face formed a perfect O in terror.


	3. Entrance

**Hey there! I just wanted to say that I'm planning on introducing Rick and the crew either in this instalment or in the next.**

**Oh, and happy Christmas festive people!**

Duke retreated from the window to prevent seeing anything else outside the police station. But it was too late. A face appeared at the window. The bottom jaw bone was hanging down as though it had been ripped by someone. Dried blood covered the left side of the face, where the cloudy eye had been scratched severely. The zombie's dark cropped hair was matted with blood from his past.

Duke fell to the floor and began shaking in fear. Audrey abruptly shut the blinds and helped Duke to his feet. Then she ran through the corridor into another room. Duke was left shaken by this daunting fact.

Five minutes later, Audrey returned carrying nine duffle bags. Eight of the bags were filled to the brim with various guns and ammo. The remaining bag was crammed full of a cross bow and at least a hundred arrows. She dropped them all at Duke's feet and he picked up two filled with guns and the one with the cross bow. Nathan stood up and grabbed three bags and immediately pulled out a shotgun and loaded it. Audrey took the remaining bags and loaded a pistol and stuffed it in her belt. She then took out a sniper rifle and loaded it ready. Nathan looked at her with confusion. Audrey could tell he was wondering where she found the rifle. She replied with two words:

"Evidence room."

When they had gathered a few small food supplies from the police refrigerator-which barely had anything in it that wasn't expired- they set off towards the door. But before they reached the hallway the tapping started again. All three of them brought their guns up to their shoulders, ready to fire. But they soon dropped them when they realised that the tapping was too rhythmical to be the dead. There were people. Real live people.

Duke ran for the door and flung it open. About a dozen people with looks of disbelief were stood in front of them. But the look didn't last long. They bounded inside as the dead began to draw in closer. Audrey barricaded the door behind them, grabbing several chairs and the chief's desk.

"So who the Hell are you and how do we get out alive?" Audrey asked the sudden newcomers.


	4. Introductions

**Hey people! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm planning on doing from Rick's point of view next time. Anyway please enjoy it and sorry it's taken so long for the last one-English coursework. **

**Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

Audrey was met by a dozen dumbfounded looks. Everyone was looking straight at her, Duke and Nathan like they can't exist. Finally a man carrying a shotgun and wearing a sheriff's uniform-complete with the hat-stepped forward to speak.

"Uh hi. I'm Rick. Rick Grimes. We came from just outside Atlanta. Two months ago we were told Haven wasn't infected. When we reached the town though, we didn't expect anyone to be alive. So it was a bit of a surprise when the door opened."

Duke piped up then, finally finding the courage to speak. "So why did you knock? Cause if you didn't think anyone was in, why would you bother?"

"Actually, we were looking for a weak spot in the glass to blow up, so we could enter. I guess we don't need to now though."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you." Chimed Duke. "So how _do_ we get out of here?"

Just then someone else from the group stepped forward. He was wearing a t-shirt the same colour as Rick's police uniform.

"Hi I'm Shane. I used to be Rick's partner in the force. But these days there's not much call for the police, is there?" He chuckled to himself lightly. "But I was kinda hoping you might have a few ideas." He looked up hopefully at Duke who was a good inch or so taller than him.

"Well I personally don't spend that much time in here, so I don't have a floor plan." Duke commented.

Audrey looked at him in disbelief, as if she was saying 'who do you think you're fooling?' with her eyes.

Nathan walked towards the corridor where Audrey disappeared to get the guns earlier. He pointed right towards the end and said: "There's a fire escape at the end of the corridor, we just gotta be careful getting to it cause there was some construction going on. It's a bit hazardous, but we should be ok."

Audrey gave him a surprised look at him and he responded with a wink. She walked over to him and slapped him on the back. Nathan froze in shock as he felt her hand hit him squarely between the shoulder blades. It was almost like an explosion for him. He went to grab the door handle and couldn't feel a thing.


	5. Freedom

**Hey guys! So how you liking it? I just realised that I'm not writing to an empty audience. So happy now!**

**Enjoy!**

Meanwhile, Duke saw this small event unfold and worked out himself that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Or at least different. He was suspicious of Nathan's reaction. He could tell there was a change in their relationship. Duke suddenly began to feel an anger like never before and he couldn't tell why.

Everyone began to walk down to the end of the corridor, to their escape. Duke noticed an axe in a case. He took it as he walked past. He always did like an axe. No time wasted by loading bullets or arrows. Just swing and hit.

As they came to the construction area they stopped. It was all covered in a large white tarp. Duke sliced a big hole in the tarp with the axe and turned to Nathan: "Lead the way." Nathan carried on in front, dodging planks hanging from above him and the peeling ceiling. He could see the white fire escape door at the end. It wasn't just a fire escape though. It was an escape from being trapped in a police station forever more.

"Ok on the count of three," Nathan began. "1…2…"

"3!" They all chorused.

They pushed down on the metal bar and let the blinding sunlight in the small dark construction area. They ran out the door and hid underneath a small shelter across the alleyway. But they didn't need to hide long. Apart from them, the alleyway was deserted.

Each person made sure their gun was loaded and, in single file, made their way down the alleyway to the main road. Duke led the procession and Rick brought up the rear. They stopped at the corner behind the green wheelie bins.

"Ok. We can't go charging in, so anybody got a game plan?" Duke asked. His untidy hair swayed in the slight breeze as he spoke. He looked around at each face, which were as blank as the ones before. Then suddenly Rick stepped forward.

"How about we split into two teams and head for the harbour? One team will take a left at the end of the alley and the other will take a right. You three!" Rick pointed at Duke, Audrey and Nathan. "We'll need one of you on each team, cause we don't know our way around."

Audrey looked at Nathan and Duke, and whispered: "Control freak, much?" She had one eyebrow cocked up above the other and gave Duke a side-ways satirical smile that made him smile to himself in triumph.


	6. Divisions

**Hey there! I want to try something new soon with two of the characters. A friend showed me an interesting Primeval FanFiction between a couple of characters, so I might try it myself. Me thinks it could either go really wrong or slightly wrong. **

**Enjoy!**

Rick pointed at Duke and Nathan. He waved Duke off to the left and Nathan off to the right. "Ok then. You two can be team captains."

Duke suddenly stepped forward with his hands formed together as if he was in prayer. "If I may… I call dibs! Audrey. I want Audrey on my team." He looked around at the dumbfounded expressions. "Was it something I said?" he asked stupidly.

Rick shook his head vigorously as if shaking flies out of his hair. He looked around at his gang and nodded decisively. "Ok then." He finally said. "Me, Lori, Carl and Shane will go with you and Audrey. We'll take Glenn as well." He pointed to the Korean guy near the back, who was hiding from the conversation. "Everyone else can go with Nathan."

Audrey looked anxiously at Nathan and Rick. Her eyes flipped between the two as she wondered whether to tell them about Nathan. Instead she dragged Nathan across to the other side of the dimly lit alley. Nathan tried to disguise that his leg was in so much pain, but then again he had never experienced this before. Nor did he want to again.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" She asked him. Nathan could see that her eyes were filled with worry and doubt. He carefully put one nervous hand on her shoulder. He felt the flesh below him, soft and silken; moulded perfectly to his hand's grip. She looked at him with surprise in her eyes and a deep smile on her face.

"I'll be fine Audrey." He reassured her. "I think there's something different. I can't feel any change in my body, just the pain. Maybe I'll be alright. Or at least for now I am anyway."

Audrey slowly turned away; her eyes were the last to abandon Nathan. Duke smiled at Nathan sarcastically. As if he was trying to say: "Got one over on you!"

Nathan was about to go over to slap Duke when Shane, the muscular, well-built man from the newcomers came over to Nathan.

"Make sure you have plenty of weapons and that everyone gets out unscathed. Otherwise I will shove this shotgun up you arse quicker than you can say zombie apocalypse. You get me?" Shane threatened.

Nathan stood completely still paralyzed by the comment. He looked dumbstruck, and all Duke could do was smile...


	7. See you soonmaybe

**Hi again! Chapter 7! Not bad, eh? What do you guys think about Duke and Audrey? I know most people go for Nathan but anyone in favour for Audrey? Anyway, enjoy! I hope…**

Rick started walking towards the end of the alleyway. "Well what are we waiting for? Are we going or not?" He impatiently tapped his left foot whilst banging his shotgun against his right let.

Duke, Audrey, Shane, Carl, Lori and Glenn briskly walked over to Rick.

Rick tipped the front of his hat down, so his eyes were protected from the sun-amongst other things. Shane gave Nathan a final glance before he set off down the alley with his team.

"See you at the harbour!" Rick called to the remaining survivors.

Rick, Duke, Audrey, Lori, Carl, Shane and Glenn turned left and disappeared from sight. Nathan prayed in his heart that he would meet them all safely at the harbour later. Well, to him it didn't matter too much if Duke died on the way.

**Sorry it's a short one but don't worry! Already working on the next one. Gonna focus on Rick and Duke's group and not so much on Nathan's.**


	8. Alley debate

**Hey there guys! If anyone like poems or Audrey/Nathan relationship, you might want to look at this. It's a poem I did and submitted and I'm quite happy with it and the reviews I got. Hope you like it too! Enjoy chapter 8!**

.com/poem/4576/Idiopathic_

The street was deserted. Cautiously Rick and Duke crept down the desolate street. It was so quiet that you could here Duke's excessive breathing. He always breathed deeply to increase moments that were always tense. Then and when he had sexy time.

There was no movement in the street at all. Once again, Duke was forced to think something rather clichéd.

'The calm before the storm.'

Audrey stepped forward to join Duke and Rick. She was trying to map out in her head the best way to get to the harbour. Undetected.

"Turn right here?" she asked Duke. He looked at her with disbelief.

"Down another alley?"

Audrey had indicated that they travel down a darker, narrower alleyway than before. It looked as though 500 metres down it snaked off to the left. You couldn't see as it was a 90 degree angle. Anything could be waiting round the corner. Or nothing at all. But Duke didn't want to take the risk.

"Yeah. It's off the main road. Out of direct sight. It should be fine." Audrey commented.

"No. I don't think so." Duke gave Audrey is signature satirical grin. "I think we're best sticking to the main roads. More space. And we can see what's ahead. Plus believe it or not but I don't know where that leads out, so you certainly won't." Duke said decisively.

"Fine but if we get zombie-bum-rushed. You're head goes on the pike and get's paraded round the harbour!" Audrey retorted.

Rick gave them both a disapproving look. He was astonished by how immature they were acting. But it didn't matter either way, as a large rounded red-neck fellow was standing in the middle of the road in front of them…


	9. Merle

**Hey! Thought it was time we found Merle. He kinda got lost. His hand didn't, but the rest of him did. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. Got loads of ideas. So far most of them are crap though. **

The figure in front of them was wearing a greasy, arm-less shirt with a hole on the right side of his stomach about 5cm in diameter. His right hand was missing and a stump replaced it.

"Merle?" Rick asked uncertainly. "How did you...? I mean…Where did you?" Rick was so gobsmacked, he couldn't get whole sentences out.

"Heh." The stumped man chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know that, eh? You who left me there to die. You, manwhore, sonofa…!"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Cool it down!" Shane interrupted before Merle could finish his insult. "Look, we're glad you found us, but if you're gonna abuse everyone again, well this gun's going up." Shane lifted his gun to signify this statement. "I think that was why we abandoned you in the first place."

Merle fell silent immediately. But not because Shane had a go at him. It was because of the low, dark, many-voiced groan behind him. He slowly turned around, knowing the worst was going to happen.

At least a hundred zombies were slowly running…well…jogging. Or maybe just fast walking…

Audrey stepped closer to Duke and told him: "That alley doesn't sound too bad an idea now does it?" Audrey dashed down to the alley, closely followed by Rick, Carl, Lori, Shane, Glenn and Merle. Duke took one last glance at the horde of zombies hurrying towards him and turned down the alley.

As Audrey and the others turned the corner and disappeared from sight, Duke picked up the pace as he feared being separated from them. As he came to the corner he stopped at the sight he was met with.

Audrey's shoulder length blonde hair had stopped swaying with movement in front of him. Everyone had their guns raised and loaded at the mass army of the undead that were coming towards them. The alleyway was triple the size now than it was before the corner. Which meant triple the room for a zombie massacre. Audrey and Lori stood either side of Duke to protect themselves from attack from behind.

Fear could not describe how they felt down that alleyway. They were being rapidly boxed in by their future killers. Duke took out a double barrel shotgun and loaded it. He brought it up to his shoulder and fired his first shot. At that time all hell broke loose, and the silence was stolen by gunfire.


	10. Explode

**Hey there! I thought you guys would like the last chapter. I think we needed some action. At the moment I haven't got a clue where this is going to go or how/when it's going to end. Anyway, for now just keep reading. And thanks so much for encouraging me to go this far!**

Duke dug deep into his bag. His shotgun was powerful, but he couldn't get rid of all of the zombies. There was a sea of undead, bloody, bodies. Various men, women and children. Some that looked a hundred years old. Some that looked forty years old. And some very small figures crawling underneath the sea to the front that looked barely five years old.

The stench was stinging Duke's eyes. Tears began to gently fall down his face, slowly caressing his cheek, before it dropped silently and beautifully to the ground. It splashed on the tarmac, almost in slow motion. This beautiful moment among days of torment that were waiting for him. If he survived that long.

Duke took a sweaty hand and wiped the salty tears from his eyes. His other hand rummaged in his hand further. When he clutched the device he was looking for, he pulled out a small metal ring before flinging it into the sea of rotting corpses.

"GET DOWN!" He shouted.

As the heads around him bowed down in obedience, an explosion came from the zombies that followed them down the alley. A second later all the rotten limbs were once again lifeless on the floor. The groans from them had ceased. Rick imitated Duke's actions on the zombies that were blocking their way forward. A loud explosion cleared the path of the undead and let sunlight in.

Far in the distance, the sun sparkled off the calm blue sea. It mirrored the sky perfectly. The tranquil waters caressed the sandy shore. Where the trees lined the harbour road, birds could he heard, tweeting their song to the cloudless landscape. The fresh green leaves of tropic plants grew in bunch across the gold shore. Undisturbed by man, zombie or nature. The birds were only animals that could be seen or heard. The trees and plants were the only source of life that flourished.

That was their goal and it was in their sights…

**Sorry it took so long to write this chapter. I had a major writer's block. I couldn't think at all. But anyway now it's here I should be able to get the next chapter out. **


	11. Kiss

**Hey guys, chapter 11 now I think? Hope you're enjoying it. **

Filled with a new sense of happiness, Duke and Audrey ran straight down onto the sandy shore and flopped down like a young couple. They started giggling at the calm surroundings around them and the fact that they're still alive. Rick, Lori and Carl flopped down a few metres away from them and lay their guns down in the sand. They lay back to stare at the perfect cloudless sky that was a perfect bright blue, the whole way across. Merle, Glenn and Shane waited a moment, before sitting down on the perfect glistening shore. The sand was soft to touch, but also scorching hot from the late afternoon sun.

They all began talking excitedly. Shane and Merle began talking about how close a shave they had just had. Rick and Lori began confessing their love and how relieved they were that they were still alive. Audrey, on the other hand, was busy telling Duke how thrilled she was. She told him that this had been the most interesting thing that had ever happened to her, but she did not want to go through it ever again.

Duke just lay their listening to the perfectly articulated words that flowed from Audrey's mouth. He watched her mouth open and close in perfect synchronisation with her beautiful voice. Like an eagle, she spoke with great authority. Like a sparrow, her voice carried off in the wind after her sentence had finished.

His eyes looked into Audrey's intensely. She stared back in confusion. Her brow furrowed as she tried to work out what Duke was looking at.

"What is it? Do I have zombie guts on my face?" She asked, teasingly.

Duke stared at her morosely for a minute. He began to lean his body closer to hers. He picked up her soft, tender hand and placed it carefully in his own. Audrey drew back from Duke's body in surprise.

"Duke what are you-?" She began to ask, but before she could finish her words, Duke leaned in further and placed his dry lips on to her smooth ones. Her lips were crushed by Duke's impulse. For a moment she responded by shaping her lips around his. Then she drew back.

"What the hell are you playing at?" Audrey quizzed him. "If Nathan saw that…"

But it was too late. Nathan's group had arrived. Everyone but him was crowded around Merle. But Nathan just stared at Audrey and Duke with a look of utmost horror on his face. His eyes were widened to the maximum. His mouth formed a perfect circle.

"Nathan, this isn't what it looks like…" Audrey tore away from Duke and ran across to Nathan. But she was too late. Nathan had turned his back and walked away.


	12. Shane

**Hey guys, chapter 12! I thought the last chapter was good but I wanna know what you think. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. **

Shane found Nathan crouched on the ground; his head between his knees. He was sobbing into his hands. Shane could see that Nathan was torn apart inside. His heart had been ripped, so much that it might not be fixable. But he was gonna try anyway.

"Nathan? Nathan, you wanna talk? You wanna tell me 'bout it all?" Shane crouched down next to him. He took a tissue from his pocket and thrust in front of Nathan's face.

Nathan lifted his face high enough to watch Shane's eyes grow more concerned. Nathan's eyes were red from crying. He took the tissue and held it in front of his eyes as he started crying more.

"Audrey," he blubbered. "How? How could she…love…him?" He asked himself. "She…she was the only one…the only one I could feel…I n-need her!" he cried out to Shane.

Shane reached down and pulled Nathan towards him. Nathan stopped crying immediately.

"You! You're arms, your hands! I can feel something! Something soft, but also strong." Nathan gripped onto Shane's arms. He could feel Shane's muscles tighten more and more as he held on for longer. Nathan pulled himself closer to Shane. He traced Shane's chin line with a long finger before pushing himself onto his lips. He felt the moisture run down Shane's cheek onto his lips. It tasted so good.

Shane backed Nathan up against the wall and began to push his hands under Nathan's shirt. His hands reached up to feel Nathan's chest. Nathan tried to push Shane back but he felt his hands drop. He took off Shane's top to see the pure masculinity beneath. Sweat was dropping off his pecks onto the ground beneath. Shane undid the buttons slowly on Nathan's jeans. Nathan obediently wriggled himself out of his jeans to reveal himself to Shane. Shane's mouth formed a sophisticated smile as he lunged into the hunt…


	13. Duke's feelings

**Hey guys, I didn't want to go into too much detail in the last chapter, cause it's supposed to be rated T. But I hope you enjoyed it all the same. Thinking about wrapping up soon. **

Audrey walked off the beach her face in her hands, crying. She couldn't believe Nathan had just seen that. She couldn't believe that Duke would go to that limit just to piss Nathan off. Behind her, she heard footsteps. Heavy, fast and coming towards her. Duke seized Audrey's arm suddenly. She tried to tug away, but Duke held on longer.

"Where d'you think you're going Audrey?" Duke queried.

Audrey tried to walk on, hoping Duke would lose his grip. But he didn't.

"Where do you think Duke? I'm going to find Nathan. Seeing as you screwed everything up, I'm gonna try and put things right."

"Audrey! Audrey, wait!" Duke called out to her.

"No Duke. I'm not gonna take anymore of your crap! I can't believe you did that just to get at Nathan! You knew he was there, so you did what comes naturally to you! You selfish piece of crap!"

Duke was seriously hurt by Audrey's words. A single tear dripped down from his face. He ran ahead and stopped dead in front of Audrey.

"Audrey, I didn't do that to get at Nathan. I did it because I love you! Audrey you have become the most amazing woman in my life. Whenever I see you, I always know that everything's gonna be ok. That my life is better than ever. I always look forward to a run-in with you. Everyday I wish there would be a crime to involve me. Just so I could see you smile and hear you crack jokes. I love you Audrey! I really do."

Audrey's hands slowly slumped to her sides. She had frozen completely. She could hear Duke calling her name, but it was distant. In her mind she replayed what Duke had just said. "'I love you Audrey!'"

Not knowing how to react, Audrey ran around the corner. But she quickly wished she hadn't.

"Oh, Shane!" Nathan called Shane's name ecstatically. He was groaning as the naked Shane pushed himself on him.

Audrey stared on at them with horror etched on her face. She managed to get one word out.

"Nathan-" She whispered.


	14. The End

**Hey guys! I hope you're not bored yet. I think it's nearly finished though. I think the last chapters had a couple of bombshells in, didn't they?**

**Anyway chapter 14, enjoy! Oh, and this is the end…**

"Oh shit…!" Nathan exclaimed. He began reaching around Shane for his jeans. He tried to fumble them on. But he was too late.

Audrey had already walked away.

"Nathan, where the hell d'you think you're going?" Shane shouted after him.

Nathan shook his head and turned around the corner. He ignored Shane's desperate calls that echoed behind him.

"You know what, fine! Screw you!" Shane cried out. He sunk back against the wall and started fumbling with the pen-knife in his pocket.

Nathan wandered back to the beach to find Audrey in the arms of Duke with Rick, Lori and Glenn gathered round her. She was crying into Duke's lap. As Nathan drew nearer, she hid her face in Duke's chest. Duke put his arms across her head in a protective way. Rick and Glenn stood up and walked over to Nathan.

"Be best if you weren't here right now. I think Audrey needs space from you." Rick warned Nathan in his low, threatening tones. "There's not going to be a problem here is there?" Rick demanded.

Nathan gave a quick shake of his head and stalked off further up the harbour.

Audrey came up above Duke's chest as Rick and Glenn returned. She looked at them puzzled. She desperately tried to dry her eyes with a white handkerchief Duke had handed her.

"So what do we do now? Do we get a boat or something?" Audrey asked Duke.

Duke looked around him before turning back to Audrey. "Well, we might as well go out to sea. I mean we could head for the island or anywhere really. And I've got a boat, so what do you say?" He turned to Rick, Lori and Glenn.

"Sounds like a plan…" Rick answered.

They all stood up and walked towards the horizon where the sun was setting in the sky. Audrey's hand sunk comfortably into Duke's soft grasp. Rick grabbed Lori in one arm and Carl in the other and followed Duke towards his boat. Shane came out of the alleyway behind them, fully clothed. As they neared the boat, Shane caught a glimpse of Nathan down by the shallow fishing waters, looking across the tranquil, glistening sea. Together, they all boarded Duke's boat and set off for a better, hopefully zombie-free, life. Sole survivors of a terrible disaster.


End file.
